Strand handling apparatus



April 23, 1940- H. H. MERWIN 2,198,313

' STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I.

A Tron/War April 23, 1940. H. H. MERWIN 2,198,313

STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 EM?" TM I INVENTOR H. H. MERW/N V A TTORNEY Oil Patented Apr. 23, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Application February 25, 1938, Serial No. 192,489

13 Claims.

This invention relates to strand handling apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for intertwisting a plurality of strands to form a compound cable.

In the manufacture of multiconductor cables for use in the communications arts apparatus known as flier type twisters are sometimes used to intertwist a plurality of strand conductors supplied from or wound upon reels, the reel supporting elements of which are usually held against rotation. One means, as illustrated in Patent 1,263,405 to H. H. C. Grondahl, of holding the reel supporting elements against rotation consists of a system of planetary gearing which requires a suitable lubrication in oil-tight bearings.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, economical and practical strand handling apparatus,

With this and other objects in view the invention comprises a strand handling apparatus for twisting strands fed through a rotary flier either to or from a take-up or jsupply reel supported by an element held stationary with respect to the flier by sets of cam rollers cooperating with eccentric cams, one cam being carried by the element and controlled, through the cam rollers, by another cam mounted against rotation relative to the flier.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a flier unit illustrating the invention, and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the flier unit.

Referring now to the drawings, numeral ID indicates generally a flier unit comprising an upper yoke II and a lower yoke 12 connected to each other by tubular bows l3 and I4.

supporting element or carrier 21 of the contour shown in Fig. 1 including substantially parallel The lower yoke I2 has a stub shaft l8 extending downwardly side portions closed at their ends. The lower end of the supporting element 21 is journalled at 28 upon the lower yoke l2 to permit rotation ofthe flier relative thereto. The supporting element 2! and its connection with the lower yoke are apertured to provide a strand passageway 30 to receive a strand ill from the reel 26. The strand in passing through the aperture 30 enters the yoke l2 and passes around a sheave 34 rotatably carried by the lower yoke, and from the sheave the strand passes upwardly through the bow I3. Adjacently disposed sheaves 36 and 31 receive the strand from the bow l3 and direct it to and through the hollow shaft 25!.

The salient feature of the invention is the means for holding the reel supporting element against rotation relative to the rotary unit during rotation of the latter. This means com prises an internal cam 4i] rigidly mounted upon or integral with the fixed bearing 2! and having a circular cam groove 42 in its lower surface. In the present embodiment of the invention the cam groove 42 is circular, with equal radii extend ing from a center line spaced from the center line of the hollow shaft 20 which is the axis of rotation of the rotary unit Ill. The cam groove 42 is, therefore, positioned eccentrically with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotary unit. An external cam 45 rigidly mounted upon reel supporting element 21 has a peripheral contour identical with the inner diameter of the cam groove 42. The reel supporting element 2'! and the cam 65 are rotatably supported by means of a shaft A6 extending downwardly from the upper yoke H, which shaft permitsrotation of the unit relative to the reel supporting element. The axis of the shaft 45 is in alignment with the axis of the hollow shaft 20 and therefore with the axis of rotation of the rotary unit. The axis of the cam 65 is in alignment with the axis ofthe groove of the cam Ml.

The external cam 45 is operatively connected to the cam Ail through a selected number of bellcrank lever units, supporting rollers at their outer ends to engage the cam surfaces. In the present embodiment of the invention the connecting means consists of a plurality of shafts 5i! rotatably journalled in bearings ii of the upper yoke H and having lever members 52 keyed to their upper and lower ends. The upper and lower lever members rotatably support cam rollers 53 and 54, respectively. through the aid of suitable cam groove 42 to cause them to ride therein and be guided by the walls of the groove while the cam 40.

lower rollers are positioned to engage the peripheral surface of the cam 45.

The general principles of strand handling apparatus of the flier type twister are well known and it is not believed necessary to show a com plete strand handling apparatus, as the invention relates specifically to the rotary units. There are, of course, two types of rotary units, namely, the supply reel type and the take-up reel type. In the present embodiment of the invention the supply reel type is shown. The take-up reel type is similar in structure to the type shown, the only difference being the provision of power means for rotating the reel in the reel supporting element to take up the strand. It is to be understood, therefore, that although the invention is illustrated in connection with the supply reel type it may also be applied to the take-up reel type.

During the operation of the apparatusthe rotary unit It is rotated through the aid of the .pulley 22 and the reel supporting element 27 is held against rotation by the aid of the mechanism shown in detail in Fig. 2. The cam 49 remains stationary during the rotation of the unit l and the upper cam rollers 53 move in a circuitous path in the cam groove. Due to the aid of the lever connection between the sets of cam rollers the upper cam rollers will transmit to the :lower cam rollers a movement in an identical path about the same vertical axis. Therefore, the cam rollers, upper and lower, will generate identical eccentric paths and will at all times prevent angular displacement of the lower eccentric or cam, thereby preventing rotation of the reel supporting element. In other words, the cam or eccentric 45 is held at three substantially equally spaced points on its periphery, which points, or rollers 54, described a path eccentrically about the axis of rotation of the rotary unit but concentrically about the axis of cam 45 and are guided in such movement by the upper cam rollers, the latter being guided in their identically spaced points about the fixed eccentric or The cam 45, including also the reel supporting element 21, is, therefore, held firmly against rotation as the lower cam rollers 54 follow the eccentric path about the axis of rotation of the rotary unit.

In the present embodiment of the invention there is shown and described two elements, namely, the rotary unit l0 and the reel supporting element 21, which are mounted for rotation relative to each other and have cam controlled means to operatively connect the elements to hold one of the elements (21) stationary while the other (III) is rotated. It should be understood that through the same arrangement the unit Iii may be held stationary and by rotating the cam mem-- ber 40 a similar rotative movement will be transferred to the element 21 through the connecting means 5|], 52, 53 and 54.

The embodiments of the invention herein disclosed are illustrative only and may be widely modified and departed from in many ways Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out and limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1. In a strand handling apparatus, a rotary unit, an element carried by the rotary unit, a stationary cam, a cam carried by the element,

and means operatively connecting the cams to hold the element against rotation during rotation of the unit.

2. In a strand handling apparatus, a rotary unit, an element, means to connect the element to the unit, a member fixed to the element and disposed eccentrically with the connecting means, a stationary member disposed eccentrically with respect to the connecting means, and means carried by the unit and operatively associated with the members to hold the element against rotation during rotation of the unit.

3. In a strand handling apparatus, a rotary unit, an element, means to connect the element to the unit, a cam member fixed to the element and disposed eccentrically with the connecting means, a stationary cam member, and means carried by the unit and operatively associated with the cam members to hold the element against rotation during rotation of the unit.

4. In a strand handling apparatus, a rotary unit, an element carried by the rotary unit, a member fixed to the element and disposed eccentrically With the axis of rotation of the unit, spaced engaging members carried by the unit and movable circuitously about the fixed member in a guided path to hold said fixed member and element against rotation during rotation of the unit, and means to guide the engaging members.

5. In a strand handling apparatus, a rotary unit, an element carried by the'rotary unit, a stationary guide disposed eccentrically relative to the axis of the rotary unit, a member similar in contour to the guide fixed to the element, and means carried by the rotary unit and controlled by the guide to hold the member and element against rotation during rotation of the unit.

6. In a strand handling apparatus, a rotary unit, an element carried by the rotary unit, a stationary guide disposed eccentrically relative to the axis of the rotary unit, a member similar in contour to the guide fixed to the element, and pivotal members carried by the unit and operatively connecting the element and its member to the guide to hold the element against rotation during rotation of the unit. I

'7. In. a strand handling apparatus, a rotary unit, an elementcarried by the rotary unit, a stationary guide disposed eccentrically relative to the axis of the rotary unit, a member similar in contour to the guide fixed to the element, pivotal members carried by the rotary unit, and rollers carried by the pivotal members so as to position some of the rollers in engagement with the guide and others in engagement with the member of the element to hold the element against rotation during rotation of the unit.

8. In a strand handling. apparatus, a rotary unit, an element carried by the rotary unit and having a projection, the contour of which being eccentric with the axis of rotation of the unit, a stationary member having a groove therein similar to the peripheral contour of the said projection and disposed axially with respect thereto, and holding means engaging the periphery of the said projection and guided by the groove in the stationary member to hold the element against rotation during rotation of the unit.

9. In a strand handling apparatus, a rotary unit, an element carried by the rotary unit and having a projection, the contour of which being eccentric with the axis of rotation of the unit, a stationary member having a groove therein similar to the peripheral contour of the said projection and disposed axially with respect thereto, a set of spaced rollers disposed in the groove of the stationary member, a second set of rol-.

ers disposed in engagement with the periphery of the said projection, and means carried by the rotary unit for supporting the sets of rollers and transmitting movement of the first set of rollers to the second set of rollers to hold the element against rotation of the unit.

10. In a strand handling apparatus, a rotary unit, a reel supporting element carried by the rotary unit, a stationary guide disposed eccentrically relative to the axis of the rotary unit, a flanged projection carried by the element and similar in contour to the guide, and means carrled by the rotary unit for operatively connecting the guide to the flanged projection to hold the projection and the element against rotation during rotation of the unit.

11. In a strand handling apparatus, two elements, means to mount the elements for rotation, one relative to the other, a stationary cam,

20 a cam fixed to one of the elements, and means controlled by the stationary cam to hold the other cam and the element fixed thereto stationary while the other element is rotated.

12. In a strand handling apparatus, two elements, means to mount the elements for rotation, one relative to the other, a stationary cam, a cam fixed to one of the elements, and means controlled by the stationary cam to control the motion of the other cam and the element fixed thereto While the other element is rotated.

13. In a strand handling apparatus, two elements, means to mount the elements for rotation one relative to other, a stationary guide having an endless groove therein, a member similar in contour to the groove fixed to one of the elements, and means guided by the groove and engaging the member to hold the member and the element fixed thereto stationarywhile the other element is rotated.

HARRY H. MERWIN. 

